Welcome to Westminster Abbey. Daily prayer has been offered in this place for over a thousand years, and your participation in today's service is warmly welcomed. At choral Evensong most of the service is sung by the choir on our behalf. We participate through our presence and our listening, that the words and the music might become a prayer within us and lift us to contemplate God's beauty and glory.

The service always includes one or more psalms. These ancient prayers, taken from the Old Testament, reflect the full range of human emotions and experiences; from the depths of anger, resentment, and abandonment to the heights of ecstatic joy and praise. They were used by Jesus, and have always been at the heart of the Church's daily prayer.

The canticles Magnificat (Luke 1: 46–55) and Nunc dimittis (Luke 2: 29–32) reflect two responses to the Incarnation (God becoming fully human in Jesus Christ). Both speak of the fulfilment of God's promises, not just to 'Abraham and his seed', but also 'to be a light to lighten the Gentiles' (all nations). With their themes of fulfilment and completion, these texts have been given central place for many centuries in the Church's prayers for the evening and at the end of the day.

Please join in saying the words and singing the hymn printed in bold type.

The church is served by a hearing loop. Users should turn their hearing aid to the setting marked T.

Photography, filming, and sound recording are not allowed in the Abbey during services. Please ensure that mobile telephones and other electronic devices are silent.

The service is sung by the Choir of Westminster Abbey.

Order of Service

The choir sings the Introit

Hear my prayer, O Lord;
   and let my crying come unto thee.

Words: Psalm 102: 1
Music: Henry Purcell (1659–95) Organist and Master of the Choristers 1679–95

All stand as the choir and clergy enter

All remain standing as the officiant introduces the Confession

Beloved, we are come together in the presence of Almighty God and of the whole company of heaven to offer unto him through our Lord Jesus Christ our worship and praise and thanksgiving; to make confession of our sins; to pray, as well for others as for ourselves, that we may know more truly the greatness of God's love and show forth in our lives the fruits of his grace; and to ask on behalf of all people such things as their well-being doth require. Wherefore let us sit or kneel and keep silence, and remember God's presence with us now.

All kneel or sit to say together

O God, our Father,
we have sinned against thee
in thought, word, and deed;
we have not loved thee with all our heart;
we have not loved our neighbour as ourselves.
Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee;
cleanse us from our sins;
and help us to overcome our faults;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

The officiant gives the Absolution

May the almighty and merciful Lord grant unto you pardon and remission of all your sins, time for amendment of life, and the grace and comfort of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

All say together the Lord's Prayer

Our Father, who art in heaven,
hallowed be thy name;
thy kingdom come;
thy will be done;
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our trespasses,
as we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.
For thine is the kingdom,
the power, and the glory,
for ever and ever.
Amen.

All stand. The officiant and choir sing the Responses

Music: Philip Radcliffe (1905–86)

All sit. The choir sings Psalm 37: 1–20, 40–end

Fret not thyself because of the ungodly : neither be thou envious against the evil-doers.
For they shall soon be cut down like the grass : and be withered even as the green herb.
Put thou thy trust in the Lord, and be doing good : dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.
Delight thou in the Lord : and he shall give thee thy heart's desire.
Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him : and he shall bring it to pass.
He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light : and thy just dealing as the noon-day.
Hold thee still in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him : but grieve not thyself at him whose way doth prosper, against the man that doeth after evil counsels.
Leave off from wrath, and let go displeasure : fret not thyself, else shalt thou be moved to do evil.
Wicked doers shall be rooted out : and they that patiently abide the Lord, those shall inherit the land.
Yet a little while, and the ungodly shall be clean gone : thou shalt look after his place, and he shall be away.
But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth : and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.
The ungodly seeketh counsel against the just : and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.
The Lord shall laugh him to scorn : for he hath seen that his day is coming.
The ungodly have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow : to cast down the poor and needy, and to slay such as are of a right conversation.
Their sword shall go through their own heart : and their bow shall be broken.
A small thing that the righteous hath : is better than great riches of the ungodly.
For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken : and the Lord upholdeth the righteous.
The Lord knoweth the days of the godly : and their inheritance shall endure for ever.
They shall not be confounded in the perilous time : and in the days of dearth they shall have enough.
As for the ungodly, they shall perish; and the enemies of the Lord shall consume as the fat of lambs : yea, even as the smoke, shall they consume away.
But the salvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord : who is also their strength in the time of trouble.
And the Lord shall stand by them, and save them : he shall deliver them from the ungodly, and shall save them, because they put their trust in him.

All stand

Chants: George Martin (1844–1916) and Thomas Attwood (1765–1838)

All sit for the first Lesson, Exodus 19: 9b–19

When Moses had told the words of the people to the Lord, the Lord said to Moses: 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow. Have them wash their clothes and prepare for the third day, because on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people. You shall set limits for the people all around, saying, "Be careful not to go up the mountain or to touch the edge of it. Any who touch the mountain shall be put to death. No hand shall touch them, but they shall be stoned or shot with arrows; whether animal or human being, they shall not live." When the trumpet sounds a long blast, they may go up on the mountain.' So Moses went down from the mountain to the people. He consecrated the people, and they washed their clothes. And he said to the people, 'Prepare for the third day; do not go near a woman.'

On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, as well as a thick cloud on the mountain, and a blast of a trumpet so loud that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God. They took their stand at the foot of the mountain. Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended upon it in fire; the smoke went up like the smoke of a kiln, while the whole mountain shook violently. As the blast of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses would speak and God would answer him in thunder.

Here ends the first lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Magnificat

Evening Service in B flat, Charles Villiers Stanford (1852–1924)

All sit for the second Lesson, Acts 7: 44–50

Stephen said, 'Our ancestors had the tent of testimony in the wilderness, as God directed when he spoke to Moses, ordering him to make it according to the pattern he had seen. Our ancestors in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our ancestors. And it was there until the time of David, who found favour with God and asked that he might find a dwelling-place for the house of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by human hands; as the prophet says,
"Heaven is my throne,
   and the earth is my footstool.
What kind of house will you build for me, says the Lord,
   or what is the place of my rest?
Did not my hand make all these things?"'

Here ends the second lesson.

All stand. The choir sings Nunc dimittis

Evening Service in B flat, Charles Villiers Stanford

All face east to say together the Apostles' Creed

I believe in God the Father almighty,
maker of heaven and earth:
and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Ghost,
born of the Virgin Mary,
suffered under Pontius Pilate,
was crucified, dead, and buried.
He descended into hell;
the third day he rose again from the dead;
he ascended into heaven,
and sitteth on the right hand of God the Father almighty;
from thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost;
the holy catholic Church;
the communion of saints;
the forgiveness of sins;
the resurrection of the body;
and the life everlasting.
Amen.

The officiant and choir sing the Lesser Litany; the Lord's Prayer and the Responses

Let us pray.

All kneel or sit

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. Amen.

The officiant sings the Collects; of the day, of Lent, for peace, and for aid against all perils

We beseech thee, almighty God, look upon the hearty desires of thy humble servants, and stretch forth the right hand of thy majesty, to be our defence against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Almighty and everlasting God, who hatest nothing that thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins of all them that are penitent; create and make in us new and contrite hearts, that we worthily lamenting our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O God, from whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed; give unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot give; that both, our hearts may be set to obey thy commandments, and also that, by thee, we being defended from the fear of our enemies may pass our time in rest and quietness; through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

Music: Philip Radcliffe

All sit. The choir sings the Anthem

'Lord, let me know mine end,
   and the number of my days;
   that I may be certified how long I have to live.
Thou hast made my days as it were a span long,
   and mine age is as nothing in respect of thee;
and verily every man living is altogether vanity.
   For man walketh in a vain shadow,
and disquieteth himself in vain;
   he heapeth up riches and cannot tell who shall gather them.

'And now, Lord, what is my hope?
   Truly my hope is even in thee.
Deliver me from all mine offences,
   and make me not a rebuke to the foolish.
I became dumb, and opened not my mouth,
   for it was thy doing.
Take thy plague away from me;
   I am even consumed by means of thy heavy hand.

'When thou with rebukes
   dost chasten man for sin,
thou makest his beauty to consume away, like as it were a moth, fretting a garment;
   every man therefore is but vanity.

'Hear my prayer, O Lord,
   and with thine ears consider my calling;
   hold not thy peace at my tears.
For I am a stranger with thee,
   and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
O spare me a little, that I may recover my strength,
   before I go hence, and be no more seen.'

Words: Psalm 39: 4–end
Music: from Songs of Farewell, Hubert Parry (1848–1918)

All kneel or remain seated for the Intercessions

The officiant says the Prayers; for the Royal Family, and for the Members of the Order of the Bath

Almighty God, the fountain of all goodness, we humbly beseech thee to bless our most gracious Sovereign Lord King Charles, Queen Camilla, William Prince of Wales, the Princess of Wales, and all the Royal Family: endue them with thy Holy Spirit; enrich them with thy heavenly grace; prosper them with all happiness; and bring them to thine everlasting kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

God save our Gracious Sovereign, and all the Members of the Most Honourable Order of the Bath living and departed. Amen.

All say

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,
and the love of God,
and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit,
be with us all evermore.
Amen.

All stand to sing the Hymn

Dear Lord and Father of mankind,
   forgive our foolish ways!
Re-clothe us in our rightful mind,
in purer lives thy service find,
   in deeper reverence praise.

In simple trust like theirs who heard,
   beside the Syrian sea,
the gracious calling of the Lord,
let us, like them, without a word
   rise up and follow thee.

Drop thy still dews of quietness,
   till all our strivings cease;
take from our souls the strain and stress,
and let our ordered lives confess
   the beauty of thy peace.

Breathe through the heats of our desire
   thy coolness and thy balm;
let sense be dumb, let flesh retire;
speak through the earthquake, wind, and fire,
   O still small voice of calm!

Words: John Whittier (1807–92)
Tune: 'Repton' 353 NEH, from the oratorio Judith, Hubert Parry

All remain standing as the choir and clergy depart

Music after the service

Elegy Op 58, Edward Elgar (1857–1934) arranged by Matthew Jorysz (b 1992)

Those who wish to may sit for the remainder of the organ voluntary

Choristerships at Westminster Abbey

The Choir of Westminster Abbey

If you have a son who enjoys singing, you can find out more information about our world-renowned Abbey Choir and its unique Choir School. Alternatively, please contact Dr Emma Margrett, Headteacher, Westminster Abbey Choir School, and Mr Andrew Nethsingha, Organist and Master of the Choristers, by emailing [email protected].

St Margaret's Choristers

If you have a daughter aged 10 or 11 who would like to sing with the St Margaret's Choristers, please contact Mr Greg Morris, Director of Music, St Margaret's Church, [email protected]. Find out more about Music at St Margaret's Church.

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Hymn covered by Christian Copyright Licensing (International) Ltd are reproduced under CCL no 1040271 and MRL no 1040288. Common Worship (Church House Publishing, 2000), material from which is included in this service, is copyright © The Archbishops' Council. Scripture Readings are from the New Revised Standard Version.